Stringed instrument electronics are comprised of magnetic pickups arranged beneath the strings of guitars and like instruments, and other electronic components which facilitate obtaining qualities of tonality, loudness, reverberation and timbre. Potentiometers regulate tonal qualities and volume and switches regulate the electronic signal between pickups or different tonal qualities within the same pickup. Vibrations in the strings of a guitar induce electric signals in the coils of the pickup which are modified by switches and potentiometers and transmitted through the output wires from the guitar to an amplifier. Modification of musical sound utilizing different pickup designs and complementary electronic components can be achieved by the regrouping of pickups and electronic components.
Changes in styles of music and advances in pickup design and associated electronics, however, have spawned a large electronic music market with many manufacturers, each producing different electronics. Previously, there had been no way for guitar players to conveniently have available to them a choice between various sounds in a single instrument and the capability of repairing the electronics of same without leaving the guitar at the repair facilities. Guitarists have typically acquired numerous guitars, each with a particular electronic installation which produces distinct tonal qualities.
The exchange of guitar electronics in existing guitars generally requires technical assistance that is costly and time-consuming. Guitar players having technical expertise may exchange pickups and electronics themselves by removing the strings, unscrewing the casement for each pickup and electronics, installing the new pickups and/or electronics and rest ringing. Thus, each electronic component may be replaced individually and wired to the respective electronic connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,823 issued Jun. 10, 1997 is directed toward an interchangeable electronics module mounted to an electric stringed instrument. The guitar is formed with a cavity formed through the instrument body beneath the strings to house the pickups and other electronic components. The rear insertion modules provide rapid exchange and simultaneous regrouping of pickups and electronic components. Placement of a module into the instrument automatically positions the pickups beneath the strings, with the module being retained in the body by a flange formed in the instrument body. The module is removably secured in the instrument body by resiliently biased latches, which also function as spacers between the module and instrument body and connect the electronic components installed in the module to a grounding plate in the instrument body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,043,422 issued Mar. 28, 2000 patent discloses a removable active pickup module, directed particularly to a bodiless stringed musical instrument and has a main enclosure machined from dense solid material to provide a complex of internal compartments. The module is configured with a six-sided, diagonally-elongated shape consistent with the appearance of The Chapman Stick®.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,432 issued Jun. 16, 1998 uses a removable pickup cassette mounted in a cavity formed in a solid body electric guitar.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,644 issued Feb. 27, 2001 discloses an electric guitar with two structurally independent components. A neck/tailpiece module is set into a docking recess in the body module. In operation, the two components are joined mechanically and electronically by an indexing pin and a wiring connector and are fastened by a single bolt. The structural independence of the two members makes possible the utilization of bodies which may be constructed of almost any shape, size or material.
Many of today's popular guitar body styles can be outfitted with suitable electronics only by having a separate configuration style for each body type. Furthermore since the electronics may produce different effects, many musicians will employ different electronics in an attempt to achieve the desired sound. When musicians are purchasing same, the musician will try out a number of different models of different manufacturers to determine which model produces the most desired effect.
For the foregoing reasons, there has been a need for a rear entry interchangeable electronics module for increased rapidity of electronic exchange, a module that would be placed into a cavity formed in the instrument body, containing pre amp and associated tone controls allowing easy exchange of the same with other modules of different manufacturers. Furthermore there is a need to preclude leaving the guitar with a repairman for repair or substituting components and to preclude requiring time consuming removal and replacement of parts for the guitar. Further, there has been a need for a rear insertion module which allows easy installation of the electronic components on the current market.